Hard Way Home
by Dazzlelight
Summary: After having lost her mom, Lily Rhodes decides it's time to go looking for the answers behind her death. On her journey she discovers secrets her mother kept from her. She will find out the truth behind who she really is, and what she is capable of. Will she get more than she bargained for? What happens when she catches the eye of a certain Salvatore? Damon/OC slightly AU
1. Goodbyes Really Suck

******_Disclaimer: _**_I do not own the Vampire Diaries, if I did I'd be filthy rich lol. Anything you recognize does not belong to me._

**Chapter 1: Goodbyes Really Suck**

"Are you sure you want to do this?" he asked for the millionth time that day.

"Yes, I already told you I need to do this." I answered as we walked down the hall towards the door.

"But why do you have to go alone? Let me go with you, what if something happens? I can't protect you if you go alone."

I stopped and turned to look at him "Alex, we both know I'm more than capable of protecting myself; besides I'm not going out there to look for trouble, I'll be fine."

"Just promise me you'll call if anything happens, I'll drop whatever I'm doing and go to you as soon as I can."

I walk up to him and wrap my arms around him "Don't worry so much, I'll be okay. It's just something I need to do alone."

He pulls away "Alright just be careful, and here take this." he says holding out a credit card, "Use it for whatever you need, and don't worry about finding a place to stay; I've already made arrangements the address is set on your gps."

I take the credit card he's holding out to me and look up at him gratefully "I wasn't going to ask, you've already done enough for me but thank you this will help me out a lot."

He reaches out and ruffles my hair "I knew you weren't going to ask me for money, but you know I have more than enough for the both of us. Now if only you would let me buy you a new car; you think you'll make it to Mystic Falls okay in that piece of junk?" he says motioning to my baby, a 1969 convertible turquoise beetle.

I whack him on the chest as he laughs, "Stop being such a jerk. It's not a piece of junk, it used to belong to my mom and yes I'll make it there fine its not like I'm going across the country."

I look up at Alex and I see that he has a serious look on his face. He puts his hands on my shoulders.  
"Just be careful and If you come across any vampires stay out of their way, don't do anything that'll piss them off. Remember everything I taught you; don't ever let your guard down, always be aware of what's going on around you, make sure that wherever you are that you know where all the exits are, always keep vervain on you and in you; and if _he_ finds you, run. Don't think twice just get out of there and then call me."

"What if I can't get out?" I ask.

He looks me in straight in the eyes, to make sure I understand what he's about to tell me.  
"Then you fight like hell, you do everything in your power to weaken him. I taught you how to fight against us for a reason. Don't go down without a fight."

"Fighting _him_ won't be like fighting you, he's stronger than you, stronger than any other vampire on this planet."

"You're right but training with me gives you an edge. You now know how to defend yourself against vampires and your little abilities will help you out a lot too. Sure, my strength is nothing compared to his, but it gives you a better chance at surviving. But don't worry too much about it, just keep your head down and everything will be alright; the less attention you draw to yourself the better." I nod.

Suddenly feeling scared, not of _him_, but of the person I'm going to Mystic Falls for.  
I decide to tell him what's been going through my mind for the last few days. "What if he doesn't want me, what if he hates who I am, what if I've been searching for him all these years and it turns out to be a waste of time?"

"He'd be crazy not to want you, but I can't guarantee that his reaction will be great at first but hopefully taking all of your mother's stuff will help him ease into it. Just remember to take things one step at a time, it might be a bit overwhelming for him too; and if it doesn't work out, if he doesn't accept who you are, then he's not worth your time. You can always come back here. The house is still under your name so no one unwanted can get in without your permission." he says, "You'll be safe here."

I sigh and slowly turn back to the door "Alright, I should probably get going now. I've got a long drive ahead of me and I want to get there before nightfall."

We quietly walk out to my car. I open the door, and the turn to look at him before getting in. "Promise you'll come visit me sometime." I say

"Just give me a call and I'm there." he says as he pulls me in for one last hug and puts his head on top of mine. "Stay out of trouble."

"Same goes for you, just because you're a vampire it doesn't mean you're indestructible."  
he just laughs. I pull away and give him a kiss on the cheek, and then get into the car.  
I turn it on, plug my ipod in and put on my sun glasses. It's really sunny out today, perfect for putting the top down on my car.

"Drive safely and call me when you get there so that I know you made it okay." he tells me.

"Yes dad." I reply sarcastically, he ruffles my hair one last time. "I'm gonna miss you kid."

"I know you will, just try not to miss me too much." I tell him, he just shakes his head and laughs.  
He turns and starts walking back to the house.

I pull the car out of the driveway, but before taking off I call out his name. He turns to look at me. "I'm gonna miss you too." and then I drove off.

I hate saying goodbye, I'm horrible at it; but it was time for me to go off on my own now. I'm just glad he understood and didn't fight me too much on it.  
As I drive away, I look in the rearview mirror and see Alex standing on the porch watching me. I was leaving the only person I had left in my life, the only place I've been able to call home and who knows for how long. I hate goodbyes, they really suck.

* * *

**A/N: **Hey guys! I hope you guys liked this chapter, I'm kinda new at this lol. I've been wanting to do a TVD fanfic for a while now and I've an idea for this story floating around my head, but I couldn't really figure out where to start or even if I would be good at it. Finally I decided to bite the bullet and just go for it.

I know this chapter might be a little confusing and super short and it doesn't tell you much, if anything, about the character but I just needed a place to kind of take off from. You'll start finding out more about her as we go along, and the chapters will be longer. It might be a little slow to start but please bear with me I promise you it will take off. The idea I have for this story is really good (not that I'm bragging or anything, don't take it the wrong way!) but I just need to figure out how to get it all down on paper.

I'll try to update as often as I can. Please let me know if this story is something you guys would be interested in reading. and please forgive the bad grammar, spelling and punctuation. I tried to proof this as best as I could but I am not perfect when it comes to that lol I'm working on it though.

Thanks for taking the time to read this, sorry for the rambling. I tend to do that a lot haha


	2. On The Road Again

_kat-the-dreamer: Thanks for reviewing! You're my first! lol I'm really glad you liked it. We won't find out much about Alex in this chapter, it will come soon! I'm just not 100% sure when. We will kind of find out in this chapter who it is that Lily has been looking for and there will be more on that in the next few chapters. I hope you enjoy this chapter though! _

_winxgirl1997: I'm sooo happy you liked it! I hope you like this next one :)  
_

**_Disclaimer:_**_ I do not own the Vampire Diaries, if I did I'd be filthy rich lol. Anything you recognize does not belong to me._

**Chapter 2: On The Road Again**

I've been on the road for about a little over an hour now, I finally left Georgia. One hour down six to go. It's been awhile since I've been on a trip by myself, two years I think now, I'm so used to having Alex around so this is really weird. But I needed to do this on my own, it's not fair to Alex to keep dragging him into my problems. He never complains, but I know sometimes it gets frustrating for him.

_Flashback:_  
_We were living in Louisiana about eight months ago, New Orleans to be exact. I was coming home after a long day. It was extremely hot that day, the sun was shining brightly. I was in a horrible mood and the heat wasn't helping anything at all. _

_"How did it go today?" asked Alex not even turning away from the tv to talk to me. He already knew._

_"How do you think it went? It was the same as always, I didn't find anything and that stupid witch wouldn't help." I replied angrily as I slammed my bag on the table. "I'm tired of getting nowhere. One good lead is all I want. Is that too much to ask for?"_

_Alex didn't answer he just sat there quietly. _

_"And what's up with these witches? This is the third one to turn me down. Is it just me or are they really that bitchy? It's not like I'm asking to become ruler of the world, or anything, I just want to find him."_

_Alex still hadn't said anything, which is weird cause he always has something to say. I turn to him confused. He was looking just looking straight ahead at the wall._

_"What's going on Alex? You haven't said a word, usually I can't get you to shut up." I ask._

_He turns to look at me. "Don't get mad alright, but what if it's for the best?" he says, I just look at him feeling a bit confused. He starts talking again before I can say anything._

_"What if your mother didn't want you to find him for a reason, maybe it's time for you to let go. Just move on and start a new life. Aren't you tired of constantly being on the move? I know I am." _

_He got up from the couch and walked over to me. "I think maybe you should cut your losses and move on, if he wanted to find you then he would have already. He doesn't want to be found Lils. There has to be a reason the witches don't want to help you." he pauses, he cups my face in his hands "Let's go find a place we both like and just settle down." _

_I looked down at my shoes, trying to hold back my tears. His words just kept echoing in my head. _"He doesn't want to be found Lils." "if he wanted to find you then he would have already"

_I look back up at Alex, anger clear in my face and push him away._  
_"I __**never**__ once asked you to come with me. You knew from the beginning what I wanted to do, I told you everything." I say to him, "__**You**__ asked __**Me**__ if you could join me, so don't act like I'm forcing you to be here. You are more than welcome to leave." I point to the door, "There's the door no one is stopping you from leaving. But don't expect me to go with you. I'm finishing this with or without you. Its your choice."_

_I grabbed my stuff from the table and left the house, slamming the door on my way out. I got in my car and drove off. I notice my hands shaking on the steering wheel. I don't even know if I'm angry or hurt anymore, maybe both. I couldn't believe Alex said those things to me. Who did he think he was? _

_I saw a small park up ahead so I decided to go there. I parked and found a picnic table I could go sit at. I sat there just watching my surroundings, lost in my thoughts._

_'Maybe he was right' a little voice inside my head said, 'If he wanted you he would have found you already.' I look down at the ground._  
_'That doesn't matter though, I still need to find him and if he doesn't want me then I'll just take what I need from him and leave. I have to do this for my mother, she can't have died in vain. _  
_I need to find it before he does. And if I have to do it without Alex then so be it. I started this alone and I can finish this alone.' _

_I looked back up and noticed the sun was setting, 'I think I should head back home now.' _  
_I was afraid to go back though, what if he really did leave? I know I said I can do this alone, I can, but I had gotten so used to being with Alex. He's the only friend I have, the only person left that I care about. _

_'I guess if he's gone then I probably should leave too, but where would I go? I could always head back to Boston, I'm sure Mr. Walker would take me back. At least until I can get back on my feet, or I can try to look for some other witches that might help me. I heard there were a few of them in Georgia, one of them is bound to help me.'_

_I got up from the table and walked back to my car, determined. 'Alright then, if he's gone then I'll pack my stuff up and leave too. Theres no reason for me to stay here, the witch made it clear she would not help me. I'll head up to Georgia and try again there.' _

_My determination grew the closer I got to the house, but there was also a nervous feeling at the pit of my stomach. 'Stop it! If he's gone it's for the best, there's no need for him to have to deal with your problems. Just go home, pack and leave.' _

_It was dark when I got home, I didn't realize I had been gone for hours. It didn't feel like it. I walked towards the front door. I put my hand on the doorknob and took a deep breath, 'You'll be okay Lily, just open the door.'_

_I pushed the door open and walked in, it seemed to be empty. Tears welled in my eyes._  
_'Don't cry Lily, you knew this was going to happen. You told him to leave. Suck it up.' _

_I closed my eyes trying to force the tears back in, suddenly I heard a noise coming from the kitchen. Confused, I walked slowly towards the kitchen. Standing there in the middle of the kitchen was Alex and next to him on the counter was a slice of my favorite cake from the bakery down the street that I love. _  
_I drop my bag on the floor and run straight into his arms tears streaming down my face. I feel him wrap his arms around me._

_"I'm sorry Alex! I shouldn't have told you to leave. I'm so so sorry." I cried into his chest. I feel him rubbing my back trying to soothe me. _

_"I should be the one that's sorry Lils, not you. I shouldn't have said those things to you, I crossed the line. You were right you aren't forcing to be here, I'm here because I want to be here. I just hope you can forgive me." _

_I just nodded. We stayed like that for a while and once I calmed down we sat down and shared my slice of cake. I told him about my plan of leaving to go find another witch I had heard of in Georgia that might be able to help. That is if he still wanted to go with me. He agreed to go with me and since that day we never fought about it again. The next day we packed up our stuff and headed out to Georgia. Hopefully we would have better luck there. _

_End Flashback_

After having been there a few weeks we finally found a witch willing to help us. Her name was Bree, she was the owner of a local bar downtown. She spent a few weeks trying to figure out how to find him. She was having trouble because it turns out my mother had used a cloaking spell to make sure no one could ever find him.

That was the reason the witches before had refused to help me. They figured if another witch went to so much trouble to protect something, that it was probably for a good reason and that they should leave it alone. Bree understood though and had agreed to help.

It wasn't easy; I had my mothers grimoires and even using my blood, hoping my mothers magic might recognize my essence, didn't work. We kept trying though, and after a few months it seemed like we were making progress.

Then a few weeks ago she called me to tell me she's going to be busy that day but that I should come by after closing because she thinks she found something.  
Alex and I went there that night and found her dead on the floor with her heart ripped out of her chest. It seemed so brutal and unnecessary, something only a vampire would do. I ran into her office and started collecting everything Bree had on me hoping that whoever did this to her wasn't after the same thing I was. I saw her grimoires sitting on the shelf behind her desk so I took them. While I was collecting everything I needed, Alex was trying to get rid of anything that could link her to us. Before I left I made sure to call the police so that they could come get her body.

We went straight home after that, and we spent the night trying to find what it was that she thought she found. After hours of sifting through her files and going through her grimoires, I found what she had wanted me to see. She had an address in Mystic Falls, Virginia.

She found him, she found my father.

* * *

**A/N:** And here is chapter 2. It totally did not turn out the way I expected it too lol I had an idea of what the chapter would contain, I knew where it would start and where it would end, but as I got to writing it just kinda started going in a different direction so I just went with and hoped it turned out ok cause if not then I would be pretty pissed that I wasted my time with it lol but I'm actually happy with it and I hope you guys like it too. I know, again it's not a whole lot of info about Lily specifically which is what this chapter was originally supposed to be, but we did find out kind of what she's been up to and who she's looking for. I promise though next chapter you'll find out more about her, about what happened to her family. I mean she's still got 6 hrs to go before reaching Mystic Falls so we've got time lol

I will talk about how she came to meet Alex and how they became friends and all that but I'm not sure if that's happening in the next chapter. Partly because I still havent fully worked out all details on that, I know how it happens but I'm not really all that happy with it yet. I just don't want to write it until I'm 100% sure about it, but it is coming!

oh and did you guys notice a familiar character? Who do you think her father is?

I think that's about it for now. Please review! Thanks :)


End file.
